REAL ESTATE : Home Sweepstakes: The Grand Prize Is . . . a Free House

If giving away cars and vacation trips draws buyers to new home developments, what would giving away a whole house do? the people at William Lyon Co. wondered.

And they decided to find out.

The company, Southern California’s largest home builder, is giving away $150,000 worth of house in a drawing to be held in mid-April.

The winner will be able to chose either a Lyon home worth up to $150,000 or a $150,000 credit toward the purchase of one of the builder’s more expensive models.

Lyon said this week that it has counted more than 33,000 shoppers passing through the sales centers in its 29 participating Southland developments since the contest began and has racked up 181 sales.

To be eligible, one must visit any four of the eligible projects and get the entry form stamped by a sales representative at each. There is no limit on the number of entries, company officials said.

The contest ends at 6 p.m. April 12 and while the drawing date has not yet been fixed, it is likely to be held within the following week.

For more information and for a list of the participating developments, call the company at its Newport Beach headquarters or call or stop by any of its sales offices.